Editor’s Note: The following is an update of our original report from April 9, 2026 to reflect current developments.
MUNCIE, Ind. (The CI) - According to a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana on May 26, 2026, Ball State University settled a lawsuit with Suzanne Swierc for $225,000 “late last week.”
This comes after University-owned Indiana Public Radio (IPR) reported on April 9, 2026 that “Swierc and Ball State have reached a settlement.”
Swierc was fired over a social media post last year, according to a statement from the University, published September 17, 2025.
The CI previously reported on the post, which was marked as friends-only and shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the account @libsoftiktok. The post shared Swierc’s personal remarks regarding conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita shared the post as well.
“Let me be clear, if you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends,” Swierc posted.
Swierc also stated that she “feel[s] for his wife and children,” and that, “while it’s difficult, I can and do pray for his soul.”
Swierc continued, saying that “Charlie Kirk’s death is a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed. It does not excuse his death, AND it’s a sad truth. The shooting is a tragedy, and I can and do feel for a college campus experiencing an active shooter situation. The deaths of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the children shot and killed in Minneapolis last month, and the children shot in Colorado today are tragedies that also deserve your attention. Charlie Kirk excused the deaths of children in the name of the second amendment.”
Both Muncie Resists and the Ball State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) issued statements condemning Swierc’s firing.
The ACLU of Indiana represented Swierc, claiming her firing was “unconstitutional, and she is entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief and her damages.”
According to the lawsuit, on the 17th, Swierc’s supervisor informed her of a required meeting at 4:00 p.m., where she was told she could not bring legal counsel and would likely not be required to speak. The Head of Employee Relations, Melissa Rubrecht, allegedly stated that Swierc could not bring legal counsel, though she could bring a peer for support.
The lawsuit claims University President Geoffrey Mearns, personally, fired Swierc, solely for the leaked post.
While IPR stated “a Ball State spokesperson called the settlement ‘successful’” in its report published April 9, 2026, the ACLU of Indiana said “[t]he settlement agreement was fully executed late last week” in a press release published May 26, 2026.